“You're beautiful when you come,” he said. “I'll have to see that again many, many times.”
“You are going to drive me crazy,” she chuckled.
“If by drive you crazy you mean give you massive amounts of pleasure, then I absolutely will.”
“Grayson Baxter. You're a bad boy,” she said, nuzzling deeper into his chest as his muscled arms held her in a warm and affectionate embrace.
“When it comes to giving you pleasure, I am the baddest of the bad.”
She rested against his heartbeat. If this is what it meant to be bad, then she didn't want to be good.
Chapter 20
Grayson woke with the memory of the taste of Donika on his lips. After their date yesterday, he’d taken her home and kissed her on the front porch of the inn. She'd been embarrassed, sure that her family was watching her out the window.
He pulled himself out of bed and went downstairs to make a cup of coffee. As he scratched his behind and sipped his coffee, he checked his emails on his smartphone. There was an email from the production company, so he quickly tapped it open.
“Dear Mr. Baxter. Due to the unfortunate event yesterday, The Great American Bake-off will be postponed until further notice. Ongoing investigations into the nature of the crime committed yesterday prevent us from holding the show in the previous location until the investigation is complete. We are currently searching for a new judge. Canceling the show completely was considered, but ultimately the decision was made to carry on. We thank you for your cooperation and your continued participation in the Great American Bake-off.”
Grayson took another sip of coffee and read the letter over again. They were postponing the show indefinitely. The next episode had been set to be shot tomorrow. But now, he would have the whole day off. He wondered if he could spend the day with Donika.
She kept having bodies drop around her, and he was concerned. He'd been seeing men in sunglasses and dark suits driving around town. But he told himself they were just associated with the show.
Donika had mentioned she was having fainting spells, and maybe paranoia was just part of whatever was making her sick. It was possible that the deaths were mere coincidence. Heathcliff York was an extremely unpopular character. Grayson wouldn't doubt if the man had plenty of enemies of his own. The hairdresser had an estranged husband who was known to be violent.
Both deaths were a tragedy. But they were also easy to explain. Grayson needed to be there for her no matter what was going on. He wanted to believe everything she said. The most important thing was that she was safe. She was home with her family, and that was the safest place she could be.
Grayson hopped in his truck and drove to the bakery. It was still very early morning, and he looked forward to making dozens of loaves of French bread, his now world-famous scones, and all the other pastries that he provided the people of Fate Valley.
There was still so much he wanted to do in life, and his dream of opening a pastry factory was still at the back of his mind. But this morning he was happy to open the kitchen door of his little bakery to start the day. There was nothing like the smell of butter and sugar in the morning.
As he blended his first batch of pastries and took his customary nip of the fluffy mixture, he smiled and counted himself lucky. Once he had the scones baking, he mixed his French bread loaves and put them into loaf pans. His ovens pumped out dozens upon dozens of tasty treats as the day progressed.
He considered what to do with Donika tomorrow. He had already taken her on a date to the resort and for a ride out on the lake. Maybe he could take her out to the Fate Valley stables to go horseback riding through the forest. He decided that was the best idea. Donika needed to get out and get some fresh air. The horseback riding would help her clear her head. Soon they would find a solution to all her problems.
When Kitty arrived that morning, she stepped into the kitchen before starting her opening routine.
“I cannot believe what happened at the show yesterday,” she said. “I wasn't there, but it's all over the news.”
“It certainly was a tragedy.”
“What are they going to do about the show?”
“It's been postponed until further notice.”
“Do you think that they will keep filming it?”
“At the moment, it appears that that is the plan.”
“It must've been awfully scary,” she said, pouring herself a cup of coffee from the pot in the kitchen.
“It was frightening. The bullet zoomed right over Donika's head and hit Heathcliff York in the back of the skull. He died instantly. Everyone in the crowd saw it.”
“But nobody knows who did it?”
“Not yet. The police held everyone for questioning after the shooting. But I'm sure whoever did it slipped out of the room before the police even arrived.”
“Something big like the bake-off happens in our little town, and then there's a murder,” Kitty said. “This is why we can't have nice things.”
It didn't seem appropriate to chuckle about a murder, but Grayson couldn't help himself.
“I got an email from the show this morning saying that they were looking for a new judge.”
“I can't believe that Heathcliff York is dead. The show just won't be the same without him.”
“I can't believe it either.”
“He was a jerk. Nobody liked him. Do you think that's why he was murdered?” Kitty asked, wide-eyed.
“I don't know what else to think,” Grayson said.
At the back of his mind he was thinking about what Donika had said. That maybe the bullet was intended for her.
“I wouldn't doubt he had a lot of enemies,” Kitty said. “He was really terrible to the contestants on the show. He's made so many people cry on national TV. People don't react well to being humiliated in front of the world. I know I wouldn't.”
“Would you resort to murder?”
“Of course not. But do you remember last year when they held the show in Seattle, and he made that one woman cry so hard that snot dripped down her nose and it seeped into her mouth. They had a close-up of her on the screen right at that moment. Afterwards, people were saying all kinds of nasty things about her on social media. She became a meme. I can't even imagine what that must've felt like.”
“You think it was her?”
“Maybe. Maybe her or someone else like her. There are dozens of people he did similar things too.”
“That's true.”
“Well, I don't have any other explanation for it. I better get to opening the shop,” Kitty said.
She went out into the front of the house and continued her opening routine while Grayson pulled his loaves out of the oven. As they cooled, he transferred the scones to another cooling rack and popped his bear claws into the oven.
By the time the first customers began to arrive, his bear claws were ready, and he popped them out of the oven.
Setting the bear claws on the cooling rack, he went to have his third cup of coffee of the day, feeling just a little on edge about everything. He walked out into the café and saw Harrison Cole sitting at a table by the window. He went over and sat at the chair across the table from him.
“I heard about what happened at the event center yesterday,” Harrison said. “Such a terrible thing.”
“You’re telling me...”
“Do they have any idea who did it?” Harrison asked.
“Not yet. Kitty thinks that it was a disgruntled contestant from a previous show.”
“I've watched reruns of that show on Netflix with Sunshine. I wouldn't be surprised,” Harrison said, taking a bite of his bagel.
“Yeah, that’s probably it.”
“You don't sound so sure. What’s up?”
“Oh, it's nothing.”
“After what happened at the Fate Rock Chapel, I never think these matters are just nothing,” Harrison said, taking a sip of his smoothie.
“Well, the bullet whizzed right over Donika's head. And
the other day she was at the hairdresser and the hairdresser was shot. The bullet barely missed Donika.”
“You mean Stacy Smith?” Harrison asked.
“Yes.”
“I helped the cops pick up her ex just a few days ago. He was raving drunk and screaming about how he was going to kill her.”
“That does sound awfully damning.”
“Do you think that these murders are connected?” Harrison asked.
“Donika is convinced that her old boss is after her.”
“There may be something to it. A coincidence like that could be a coincidence, but it could just as easily be something more. Keep me posted if you ever need help, okay?” Harrison said, rising from the table.
“Will do,” Grayson said, nodding to his friend as Harrison walked to the door.
He was concerned about Donika’s safety but knowing that Harrison had his back made him feel a little more confident about being able to protect her from whatever was out there.
The same dark black Escalade rolled past the café with its black tinted windows rolled up. A shiver went down Grayson spine. He sipped his coffee, trying to warm up. There was definitely something strange happening in town, and he was determined to get to the bottom of it.
Chapter 21
No one at the inn could believe what had happened at the show yesterday. Since all the guests had come to Fate Valley for the bake-off, it was all they could talk about.
“What are we supposed to do now?” asked Meg, the yuppie.
“Do they expect us to just wait until they find a new judge?” said Tanner, her husband.
“I paid good money for this vacation. I can't afford to spend another week waiting around,” said Martha.
“I'm sure the TV station will just hire people to be in the audience if everyone leaves,” said Emmanuel.
“I can't believe he's dead,” Darcy said. “He was my favorite judge.”
“He was a horrible person and deserved to die,” countered her friend Pamila.
“How could you say that? No one deserves to die for being a judge on a reality TV show,” said Emmanuel.
“He made people cry all the time. He destroyed their lives. Did you see what happened to that woman last season? People wouldn't stop talking about her on social media. She was absolutely humiliated. I don't know what I would do if that happened to me,” argued Tiffany.
“Still, it's not a reason to kill someone,” said Emmanuel.
“Well, maybe it's not a justifiable reason to you. But it might be to someone else,” said Darcy.
“Everyone has different standards,” said Meg.
“Some people have more ethics than others,” said Emmanuel.
“That's for sure,” said Pamila.
The guests continued debating, arguing, and gossiping around the breakfast table. But all Donika could think about was how that bullet must have been intended for her. She didn't know why or how, but she was becoming convinced that Mr. Shyster had sent men after her. She kept seeing a black SUV full of men in dark suits with dark sunglasses. She had a sinking sense they were following her.
She wished more than anything that she could remember what had happened in New York. But her memory was still a black hole. She'd left the lawsuit papers in her bedroom and still hadn't read them. She knew it was going to be terrible and needed to prepare herself emotionally and mentally for the inevitability.
As the guests finished their breakfast, she helped her mother and sister clear the table and bring all the dirty dishes into the kitchen.
“Can you help with the dishes?” Adele asked. “Since you did offer to help us around the inn.”
“Sure, I don't see why not.”
“Great,” Adele said, leaving her alone in the kitchen.
Kamala had baby Nina in a sling and smiled as she walked out the back door toward her own house. Donika looked around the kitchen at the stacks of dirty dishes and pots and pans from breakfast preparation. She let out a deep sigh and her shoulders slumped. It reminded her exactly how screwed up her life was right now. She was lucky to have somewhere to go. The least she could do was help around the inn like she’d promised.
Donika looked around, not exactly sure how to tackle the massive mess in the kitchen. But she found dish soap and a sponge and knew how to run a dishwasher. So, she set about scraping off the plates, putting away the leftovers in the refrigerator, and rinsing the dishes. By the time she was finished loading the dishwasher, and had scrubbed down all the counters, she was feeling pretty good about herself. Nothing wrong with an honest day's labor. But a moment later, her mother walked into the kitchen.
“While Grandma Pearl and I are making lunch, why don't you go clean out the guest bathrooms?” Adele suggested.
Donika's hair fell in stringy tendrils around her face, and she was a sweaty from the exertion. She didn't realize her mother was going to give her another task so soon.
“Sure,” Donika said. “But I'm having a coffee break first.”
She poured herself a cup of coffee and sat at the kitchen table while her mother and grandmother started preparing lunch for the guests.
“This really is a great big scandal,” Pearl said.
“What do you think, Donika?” Adele asked, turning to her.
“I'm beginning to think someone is after me,” Donika said.
Her mother and grandmother laughed as if she was joking. She wasn't joking. She sipped her coffee and watched the two older women prepare sandwiches and stir a pot of corn chowder for lunch. When she was done with her coffee, she left the kitchen and grabbed the cleaning supplies from the hall closet.
She trudged upstairs, walked into the men's bathroom, and was hit by a wave of stench. She drew back and closed the door, scrunching up her nose in disgust. What the hell? She preceded to the women's bathroom and noticed there was makeup dust and paper towels all over the counter.
At least it didn't stink to high hell. There was the faint smell of perfume lingering in the air. She walked into the shower stalls and began to scrub them down with the cleaning spray and scrubber sponge. After she washed the three shower stalls, she cleaned the toilets. Thank God for rubber gloves, was all she could think.
She wiped down the counters and mopped the floor. By the time she was done with the first bathroom, she was disgusted, sweaty, and exhausted. But she still had the men's bathroom to clean. She pushed her cleaning supplies into the men's bathroom and thankfully the stench had dissipated.
When she was finally done, she could hear the guests downstairs being served lunch. She pulled off her rubber gloves, washed her hands, and went downstairs to join everyone in the dining room.
“Donika,” her grandmother said. “You look terrible.”
“Thanks Granny. Did you at least save me some lunch?”
“Oh, you wanted lunch?” Adele said. “We’re almost done here.”
“No, that's fine,” Donika said, leaving the dining room.
She knew there was corn chowder left over in the pot in the kitchen, but she had lost her appetite. She walked back to her bedroom and slumped down on her bed. The yellow manila envelope that contained the lawsuit was still sitting there staring at her. She growled at herself and pulled it out of the envelope, gritting her teeth as her eyes scanned the documents.
With each page that she flipped, her heart sank just a little bit further into her stomach. Mr. Shyster was suing her for a million dollars. A million dollars! Even with her assets unfrozen, even if she cashed out her 401(k)and sold her car, there was no way that she could afford a million dollars.
She would be in debt to them forever. She couldn't get a job anywhere and her current position was working for room and board as a grunt laborer. Donika was so frustrated and angry, she saw red. Her phone rang, and she looked at the number. Her screen read Grayson Baxter. Letting out a relieved sigh, Donika answered the phone.
“Hi sweetheart,” he said. “I'm working down at the café today. Would you like to join me for
lunch?”
“I would love that. You called just in time.”
“Are you okay? You don't sound so good.”
“Oh, it's nothing. I'm just being sued for million dollars, that's all.”
“Ouch. Why don't you come down to the café and we’ll talk about it?”
“All right,” she said, feeling disgusted.
She wasn't really in the mood to go to the café. But she was in the mood to see Grayson, no matter how terrible she felt.
“I'll be there in a few minutes.”
She glanced at herself in the mirror, saw how tired she looked, and dabbed on a bit of makeup. She put her hair back in a ponytail, taming it enough to be presentable. She changed out of her sweaty T-shirt and put on a blouse before slipping into her coat and grabbing her purse.
On the way down the hall, Pearl called her from the kitchen.
“We need you to clean the kitchen after lunch.”
“No time. I need to meet Grayson down at the café. He promised to send a cake home with me.”
“A cake?” Pearl said.
“Yup,” Donika said, slipping out the front door.
She rolled her eyes as she made her way out to her car. She pulled out of the driveway, feeling like an escapee from a mental institution as she made her way into town. A few moments later, she pulled up in front of Fate Valley Café and Bakery. She was greeted at the door by her handsome new beau.
He smiled at her and it lit up his eyes. He was so striking with his dark hair and blue eyes. The tattoos on his hands didn’t hurt either. He grabbed her and kissed her. Somehow, it melted away all of her stress.
“I made you a turkey sandwich on French bread,” he said, taking her hands as he led her inside.
“You're a lifesaver,” she said.
They sat in the corner by the window with sandwiches, soup, and hot chocolate. The hot chocolate warmed her frozen belly. Being with Grayson always made her feel less tense and made her appetite stronger.